It turned out to be a rather rewarding weekend at Saratoga Race Course for owner Ron Winchell and trainer Steve Asmussen.

Frank Taylor speaks about select standouts from a 40-horse consignment ahead of The Saratoga Sale, which takes place Aug. 8-9 in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Royal Ship is in “good shape” according to Gary Mandella, the son of Hall of Famer Richard Mandella who missed the gelding’s winning trip in the July 30 San Diego Handicap (G2) at Del Mar due to being sick with COVID-19.

Trainer Chad Brown was not going to concern himself with the last two races run by Rockemperor. A pair of fifth place finishes in a pair of graded stakes races to start the 6-year-old’s season didn’t matter.

It will not be along the lines of his past invasions of Arlington International, but trainer Chad Brown plans to be represented in both the transplanted Arlington Million Stakes (G1T) and Beverly D. Stakes (G1T) Aug. 13 at Churchill Downs.

It turned out to be a rather rewarding weekend at Saratoga Race Course for owner Ron Winchell and trainer Steve Asmussen.

Multiple grade 1 winner City of Light was represented by his first winner July 31 when Three Diamonds Farm and Joseph Besecker’s Roja Ligera surged to a 1 1/4-length victory in a 5 1/2 furlong maiden special event at Ellis Park.

When a 2-year-old filly who is a half sister to the 2022 Belmont Stakes (G1) winner makes her debut at Saratoga Race Course it creates a buzz.

A day after the Jim Dandy Stakes (G2) added some clarity to the 3-year-old picture, little has changed in terms of plans that will take the four starters to either the Aug. 27 Runhappy Travers Stakes (G1) or the Sept. 24 Pennsylvania Derby (G1).

For those in trainer Todd Pletcher’s camp, the feeling entering the July 31 Monmouth Oaks (G3) at Monmouth Park was that it was a two-horse race between Shahama and the Brad Cox-trained Juju’s Map.